UK MoD Signs Ground-Breaking Service Agreement with Heli-One

Lars Landsnes, Vice President of Heli-One's European Operation, joined Ian Craddock, Head of Helicopters 2 of the MoD at RAF Benson, on 7 February to sign a new contract for a long-term Contractor Logistic Support (CLS) arrangement for the Makila 1A1 engines fitted in the new Puma HC Mk2 helicopter.No. 33 and 230 Squadron's fleet of 24 Puma HC Mk2s will be serviced by a pool of new, powerful Makila 1A1 engines. The MoD challenged industry to propose a CLS solution which not only offered 100% engine availability but would also offer extremely good cost-efficiency to the UK taxpayer.

Heli-One, a division of CHC Helicopter, has supported over 340,000 Makila engine flying hours in the last three years alone, providing services since 1985. Heli-One were able to use their depth of operational and maintenance experience to analyse the RAF's requirements in detail and assemble a service support model. The innovative proposal includes the ability to sustain engine availability using Makila 1A1 assets from Heli-One's own stock if required.

The CLS model is founded upon best-practices in the high-frequency commercial rotary Oil and Gas support sector developed for 'Power by the Hour' (PBH) contracts. PBH contracts allow the customer to have complete budget awareness and control. The MoD will be able to forecast schedules of expenditure based on planned flight hours logged through an RAF and Heli-One dual reporting system.

Ian Craddock commented; "I'm extremely pleased to witness the award of this contract to Heli-One. The Makila engine substantially increases the performance of our Puma helicopters and is a vital part of the modernisation of this capability. Heli-One have substantial experience in the support of the Makila engine and the robust support arrangements we have agreed will help secure this performance advantage for the military and deliver excellent value for the taxpayer."

Working closely with Heli-One will enable Puma HC Mk2 Squadrons to benefit from industry-leading responsiveness and service levels. The multimillion pound contract is for a period of 13 years. The engine repair and deep overhaul activity will take place in Heli-One's facility in Stavanger, Norway. Heli-One Norway's Turbomeca-approved engine shop is a centre of excellence for Makila support, and has been repairing and overhauling Makila engines for over 20 years. The scope of the contract will also involve Heli-One technical engineers being permanently embedded at RAF Benson to work as a team with RAF operations staff.

Lars Landsnes said; "Heli-One is exceedingly proud to be helping the MoD pioneer a new way to manage key assets. Everything we have learned from years operating Makila engines in both benign and harsh environments will be of value in helping the RAF achieve optimal mission-readiness."